In December we introduced a quintet of Snowman (O Man x BW Marshall x Aaron) sons certain that his Goldwyn and Shottle-free pedigree would provide options for Western Canadian producers. This time we found two more exceptional Snowman sons too compelling to leave off the list, so we removed two others to keep it to [...]
In the first proof run of the year in Canada, a base change is applied which essentially subtracts the average genetic improvement being made over the past year from the genetic numbers for every animal (both females and males). While an animal’s genetic makeup does not change, the amount of superiority over the population average [...]
The 2016 WestGen Days event was action packed. The event kicked off with a casual Wine and Cheese night filled with attendees from BC to Ontario, including our local reps. The AGM day saw great attendance by our members. Financial reports from Controller Vernon Smith and Treasurer Raymond Brink showed that the WestGen Group of [...]
With a dozen members committed to the GeneBank initiative, WestGen has purchased the first pair of heifers on behalf of the group. Both heifers are from well-known and highly respected cow families that have stood the test of time and endure even in the genomic era. Westcoast Spring Dixie 3377, tracing to the Markwell Raven [...]
What hot spot is on your bucket list? For many, the land down under is a destination they’ve always wanted to visit, though it can be a big trip to plan on your own. So when Jim Conroy & Peter Dickson of Semex Australia extended us another invitation to bring a group of Canadian dairy [...]
Young Sire Update Dear WestGen Partner Participants: With regret, we inform that the longstanding 50-year tradition of “sampling” young sires in Canada is officially coming to an end for the Semex Partners, CIAQ, EastGen and WestGen. For the many producers who participate in WestGen’s Partner program, starting May 1st the Ecoline brand and its suite [...]
April 2016 had been circled on the calendar of many Canadian Holstein breeders for a couple of years as they anticipated the National Holstein Convention making its return to the west! Alberta invited Holstein enthusiasts to come witness their #justmajestic natural scenery, farms and cattle when the event was held in Calgary & Banff from [...]
Update on PROVEN Sires DOORMAN (Bookem x Shottle) – His long anticipated Canadian debut has not disappointed type enthusiasts across the country as Doorman debuts as the #1 type sire in Canada at +19. Doorman also has terrific fat (+0.45) and protein (+0.35) deviations and very low SCS (2.49). Doorman will sire [...]
Bullseye, March 2016 New Genomax™ Options are a Recipe for Success If you’re given the name “Incredibull” you’d better be able to back it up. In the case of Riverdown INCREDIBULL-Red (Dresser x Applejack Red), it would appear that he was appropriately named. His outcross sire to Red pedigrees, OCD McCutchen Dresser is built from 5 generations of [...]
Val-Bisson Doorman is the quintessential new-age sire who shows how our new method of sire selection, while riskier, still has the checks and balances needed to provide protection. Today we stand a month away from Doorman delivering his first Canadian official proof, and we can say with relative certainty that type-oriented Canadian producers will be more than pleased for having [...]